Photographic hide-and-seek game for electronic mobile devices

Abstract

Electronic game method and system where a hiding player hides objects in a background photograph. The hiding player can move, resize, rotate, crop, shade, and otherwise alter the object to better hide it within the background picture. The hiding player can also bluff by not hiding any new objects. One or more other players then receive the resulting image and try to select the objects that were not part of the original picture within a set number of tries. The game is played with electronic devices, ideally using smart phones or tablet computers equipped with touch screens and digital cameras. Players can use their own photographs to play the game.

1 . A method of playing an electronic pictorial hide-and-seek game between at least two players, the method comprising:
 selecting a first player to be a hider and a second player to be a seeker;   the hider, using an electronic device, selecting a picture to be a base image;   providing one or more odjects for use by the hider, wherein each odject comprises an electronic image of at least one item;   the hider selecting from one of bluffing and hiding at least one odject in the base image;   wherein the process of hiding an odject in the base image comprises selecting an odject, positioning the odject on the base image, and adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject within the base image;   wherein bluffing comprises the hider indicating that the hider is declining to hide any odjects in the base image;   the hider indicating that the step of either bluffing or hiding at least one odject in the base image is complete, after which point the base image and any hidden odjects become a resulting game comprising a game image;   displaying the game image to the seeker using an electronic device;   the seeker, using an electronic device, selecting from one of calling a bluff and attempting to identify at least one odject hidden in the game image; and   communicating an outcome of the game to the hider and the seeker.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , the method further comprising:
 repeating the step of the seeker selecting from one of calling a bluff and attempting to identify at least one odject hidden in the resulting game until an ending event occurs;   wherein an ending event is one of the seeker calling a bluff, the seeker identifying all odjects hidden in the resulting game within a fixed number of identification attempts, and the seeker using up said fixed number of turns without identifying all odjects hidden in the game image.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hider and the seeker use an electronic device comprising a touch screen to play the game. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject comprises adding shadows to at least one of the base image and the odject. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject comprises at least one of shrinking and enlarging the odject. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject comprises cropping the odject. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hider is provided with picture editing tools usable with an electronic device; and
 wherein the step of adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject comprises the hider using the picture editing tools on at least one of the base picture and an odject.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of adjusting the odject to attempt to conceal the odject comprises rotating the odject. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the hider using an electronic device comprising a digital camera to take a picture, the hider using the same electronic device to play the electronic pictorial hide-and-seek game, and using said picture taken with the digital camera as the base image. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hider creates one or more odjects for hiding using an electronic device; and
 wherein the hider creates the odject by selecting at least one object in a photograph and turning the selected object into an odject.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing one or more odjects for use by the hider comprises providing an electronic page displaying a plurality of odjects for the hider to chose from. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the game image is displayed on a touch screen, and
 wherein the step of the seeker attempting to identify at least one odject hidden in the game image comprises the seeker touching a position on the touch screen that the seeker believes shows an odject.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one player accesses the game using a social networking internet site. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first player and the second player each play the game using respective electronic devices;
 wherein the game is hosted by a gaming host which is separate from said electronic devices; and   wherein the game is played using a client-server arrangement comprising the gaming host and said at least two electronic devices.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one electronic device is a mobile telephone device comprising a touch screen and a digital camera. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein electronic instructions for running the game are embodied in game logic; and
 wherein at least part of the game logic resides on a player's electronic device.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the base image and the odjects comprise sponsored advertising content. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the hider with a base picture and with a set of odjects which are preselected to blend in within a scene depicted by said base picture. 
     
     
         19 . A system for playing an electronic pictorial hide-and-seek game between at least two players, the system comprising:
 a first hiding electronic device;   the first hiding electronic device being programmed to present a hider player with a base picture, to allow the hider player to select at least one object image, to allow the hider player to place the object image in the base picture, and to adjust at least one of the object image and the base picture so as to conceal the object image within the base picture;   a means for processing the base image and the at least one object image to form a game image; and   a second seeking electronic device;   the second seeking electronic device being programmed to present a seeker player with the game image, to allow the seeking player to select points on the game image where the seeking player believes an object image has been hidden, and to determine if the points selected by the seeker player on the game image correspond to hidden game images.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the first hiding electronic device comprises a digital camera and a touch screen; and
 wherein the system comprises a host which is separate from the first hiding electronic device and the second seeking electronic device, the host comprising a processor and game logic, the host also being adapted for communication with the first and second electronic devices.